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16 April, 2010

Perky Jerky

So, a couple weeks ago the family and I were moseying through the local Price Chopper, and Lynnafred stops short at one of the endcap displays to gaze at some shiny mylar-packaged meat product: Perky Jerky. "Whoa," she said, "Caffienated beef jerky. How bitchin' is that??" I agreed it was pretty bitchin', and into the shopping cart it went.

Fast forward a couple of weeks, and I'm rummaging around in the kitchen, looking for a quick snack after work, so I opened the breadbox to see what kinds of beef jerky might be on hand, and LO! Perky Jerky is there awaiting me! Lynnafred and I both had a couple of pieces.

First off, it's real sliced beef and not that chopped-and-formed crap that seems to be taking over the market lately. And you know what? Perky Jerky had damned well better be sliced beef for the price you pay. $4.99 for two ounces. Damn. That same $4.99 will get you four ounces of most other jerkies, so this is some expensive stuff.

The flavor, I must admit, is decent. Moist (Lynn said "sticky") and reasonably tender, it's got the usual jerky saltiness and a bit of a peppery profile as well, though not too spicy. And don't buy it for the guarana "flavor," either, because you rally can't taste it (no surprise there, there's more soy sauce, brown sugar, and lemon juice in the stuff than there is guarana. And there sure as hell isn't that much caffeination, either. You know how most caffeinated stuff which is sold as a "pick-me-up" almost brags on the label about how much caffeine you're getting? Perky Jerky doesn't. In fact, they don't disclose the caffeine level anywhere - not on the package, not on their website. They can quack all they want about coffee being "so 2009," but a package of Perky Jerky isn't going to do the job of a good old fashioned cup of joe or can of Monster.

My personal opinion is that Perky Jerky is a decent quality beef jerky, cleverly marketed in order to be priced at double the going rate for all other decent quality beef jerky brands.

By the way...we really do keep beef jerky (and various other snacks) in the breadbox. And before you ask, we keep the bread on the countertop.

LOL! We have a friend who is obsessed with guarana. According to the web site, there is only one store selling it in the state of Maryland. I just might drive an hour over there to buy some of this as a gift for him.

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